Thread: Cheap housing, but only for citizens

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longi ... 4953.story

Cheap housing, but only for citizens

BY BART JONES
Newsday Staff Writer

June 6, 2006

In an effort to encourage affordable housing, East Hampton Town is discussing a new program to streamline the process for creating low-rent accessory apartments - but only legal residents need apply.

The program, which the town board is expected to discuss publicly for the first time today, would allow homeowners to sidestep the normally laborious process of applying for a building permit to construct accessory units through the planning board and other town entities. Instead, it would be handled directly through the building inspector's office as an administrative matter, town officials said.

The idea behind the pilot program is to create at least 100 apartments townwide with monthly rents between $900 and $1,100 and stem the loss of middle-class residents leaving because of high rents, said Councilwoman Debra Foster, who is spearheading the effort.

But Foster said that if the proposal meets the approval of the town board, only people who are in the country legally would be eligible to apply as either landlords or tenants.

"My first priority, and I'm not going to back away from this, would be our year-round people that live and work here and are legally here," she said. "If you're here illegally, you're not first on my list right now."

Undocumented workers live in communities across Long Island and are not eligible for government programs. A county official who asked not to be identified said that, to his eye, the East Hampton proposal would be legal.

Some Latino activists said they were alarmed by language in a town memorandum on the proposed program stating that "homeowners and tenants must provide ID with photo such as driver's license and passport as to status of citizenship (green card and/or visa)."

Amado Ortiz, a local architect, said he was generally supportive of the program to create low-cost units, but said the language about legal residency might stoke anti-immigrant sentiment.

He said he met Sunday with town officials he would not name and they agreed to remove the language from the memorandum, which left him satisfied.

For her part, however, Foster said yesterday she will remove some of the language, but would stick to her guns on the key provision that only legal residents would be eligible.

She said undocumented immigrants living there could take advantage of other programs.

900-1100 is cheap for Long island, usually 2-3 bedroom apts in a complex run 13-1500 a month depending on where it is. And that does not include electric but sometimes heat and hot water.

have no problem with this. i think is a wonderful idea. they must take care of certain things and make sure of others so no abuses take place, but i love this program.

wondering, will a legal person w/o a license be able to get an apartment? will they do a real check of any info? and what happens when illegals get a real social and use the name and number on the card? but outside of things such as these, like it. and what if the main person is a citizen and the rest are illegals?

i do think this is part of the solution. many companies have to let go peopel due to insurance cost. this is turn gives us conditions where illegals may get the job. perhaps tancredo and others can help develop some program win which companies will get cheap or free and easy to understand insurance if they follow certain rules.

"will get cheap or free and easy to understand insurance " there is no such thing for working Americans.

then perhaps your boy tancredo can make that happen. and if you can get it yourself or your job can give it to you, then perhaps you willg et that job. and if you get that job, then some hb-1 worker or illegal will not be as likely to get it.

you keep saying that americans will do those jobs if they pay enough. i agree with you. in many ways doing things like these will do more than soem fence will do. any chance attrition has of working must include this.

Get yourself a spell check it sure would help us make sense of some of this troll jibber jabber.

i admit not to be the best typist or writer, but the point still holds.

what will you do with those that can't prove they are citizens? many poor people don't have cars or a license. and that is the only form of id they would gotten anyway.

Originally Posted by TheInquisitor

i admit not to be the best typist or writer, but the point still holds.

what will you do with those that can't prove they are citizens? many poor people don't have cars or a license. and that is the only form of id they would gotten anyway.

not if we can't make heads or tails of it, hehaw

so that is your reply? can you look pass that and say that tancredo should or shouldn't do that? that insurance reform should or shouldn't take place.

perhaps it was a waste of time to come here after all. no real issues.

This isn't Ameircans for Insurance Reform.

Now I understand, you are lost. Would you like me to help you google insurance reform?

Dixie